This invention generally relates to safety nets for use in separating cargo compartments from passenger compartments in automobiles.
From DE-A19730801 there is known a simple safety net which serves to separate the load space of a passenger car from the passenger space proper. The safety net is stretched in front of the opening that is bounded between the upper edge of the rear seat back or the front seat backs and the roof lining. Through this opening in the event of an accident, objects could be flung out of the load space into the passenger space and injure people there. The purpose of the known safety net is to prevent this.
The known safety net is provided on its upper and on its lower edges in each case with a continuous tubular strut. The upper strut is suspended with laterally shiftable anchoring members in corresponding T-groove type suspension pocket of the body work, while the lower tubular strut is fastened with simple bands to the body work base. The advantage of this known safety net lies in that, because of the absence of a housing, it is relatively light. When not in use, the safety net can be wound onto one of the two struts and it then occupies correspondingly little space. Because of the long length of the struts it is only with difficulty, that it can be located in the vehicle itself and generally, when not in use, it must be stored in the garage.
In view of the foregoing, the object of the present invention is directed to create a safety net which, when not in use, can easily be stored in the automobile.
The novel removable separating device has an upper strut and a lower strut, between which in the state of use there extends an essentially unstretchable surface structure which is joined with the upper and lower struts. In order, when not in use, to reduce the space requirement, the upper and the lower struts are to be shortened in their effective length by at least 30% of their maximal length. Thereby the rolled-up packet of the unused separating device acquires a lesser length and can be directly accommodated in the baggage space.
An especially simple measure for achieving the shortening of the effective length lies in making the struts foldable at least once. For this the upper and the lower struts can in each case include a hinge with a hinge axis, whereby the respective strut is subdivided into two strut sections.
A maximal reduction of the effective length is achieved if the strut sections of each strut all are of equal length.
In order to not generate any tension in the surface structure during the winding of that surface structure onto the folded strut sections, the hinges are aligned on one another in such manner that with the separating device mounted the two hinges lie on a straight line which stands vertically on the two struts parallel to one another.
So that in the event of a crash, when objects are flung out of the load space against the separating device, the struts will generate as great as possible a resistance force, the hinge axes, with the separating device mounted, preferably are horizontally alignedxe2x80x94i.e. the hinge axes point in a direction parallel to the vehicle axis.
It is appropriate, furthermore, to arrange the hinge axis offset with respect to the strut sections adjacent to the respective hinge in such manner that the strut sections can be brought directly into a parallel position to one another when folded.
In order here to preclude a clamping or crushing hazard in the vicinity of the hinges, the shifting is advantageously large, so that beside the hinge an interspace of 1.5 to 2 cm remains when the strut sections impinge on one another at their end away from the hinge.
The device can be produced very sturdily and economically if the hinge is a single hinge with only one hinge axis.
The hinge is composed in the simplest case of two hinge lash plates which are unreleasably joined with each other by a hinging bolt. Each hinging lash plate carries a continuation over which the hinge lash plate is strongly and securely connected to the respective strut section. The continuations are aligned on the hinge lash plates so that in one position the hinge lash plates lie on a straight line that is offset laterally with respect to the hinge axis and, namely, as measured in a plane on which the hinge axis stands upright.
The handling of the separating device is substantially simplified if the hinge is lockable in at least one position. Hereby the strut, which is composed of the strut sections, can be handled like a rigid continuous strut which can easily be suspended in side receptacles in the car body. The lock mechanism can be a catch type or a lock mechanism closable in closed form. The position in which the locking occurs is appropriately the position in which the strut is fully stretched.
The hinge lash plates can have, for the purpose of locking, openings that are aligned with one another in the locking position, a bolt slidable into the openings being provided for locking. The bolt is pre-tensioned into the advanced position by means of a spring, so that the locking occurs automatically when the desired stretched position is reached.
In order to unlock the bolt, an actuating member is provided which is supported in the region of one of the two hinge lash plates, and serves the purpose of pushing the bolt rack out of at least one of the two openings.
In order to improve the resistance of the hinge lash plate to buckling at the transition point to the continuations on which the strut sections are plugged, the hinge lash plate is provided with a bead which extends into the continuation.
So that when the strut is stretched, the strut sections will extend in a straight line relative to one another, the continuation of each hinge lash plate is slightly crimped off. If the crimping-off is of an equal amount on both hinge lash plates, a single type of hinge lash plate suffices to construct the hinge. Hereby, the expenditure in manufacturing technique is simplified, because only one tool is required for the stamp-bending of the hinge lash plate.
For the purpose of an undetachably joining of the hinge lash plate with the strut sections, the hinge lash plate contains recesses or notches in its edge, which preferably are in sawtooth form.
In order to protect the hinge and the locking device against the penetration of dirt, as well as to protect the spring parts against damage, each hinge lash plate has a shell-shaped covering.
A very high resistance of the struts to bending is achieved with light weight if the strut section is tubular. In the simplest case each strut section is a cylindrical tube which is flattened in cross section in the vicinity of the hinge, the continuation being plugged into the flattened part which thereby acquires an oval cross section form.
The axial securing of the respective strut section on the continuation of the hinge lash plate occurs in that the strut section is caulked onto the continuation, in which process material of the strut section is forced into the edge-side recesses of the respective lash plate.
The straight section appropriately consists of an energy-consuming deformable material, whereby in the event of a collision the load peaks on the surface structure are reduced.
The surface structure may consist of a net or of a perforated foil.
The struts or strut sections are untwistably fastened to the surface structure, in order to simplify handling. Moreover, for simple handling, the strut sections should still be unshiftably fastened to the surface structure.
Clamping of the surface structure during folding, and a simple fabrication capability are achieved if the surface structure contains a recess in the area of the corresponding hinges.
The separating device of the invention also includes a security device which serves to secure the separating device in its packing position, sot hat it can be handled as a compact unit, without there being any danger that it will unwind into the separating device or unfold.
The packing device advantageously is formed by a pocket that is securely fastened to the separating device. The pocket may consist of two flexible pocket walls, each of which extends along a strut section of one of the two struts, and each of which is fastened in the region of the respective strut section. Thereby, a complete pocket is produced when the separating device, after the folding together of the two struts, is would over one of the two folded struts. By joining of the pocket walls with one another, an escape of the winding is prevented.
The two pocket walls have, suitably on their side lying away from the respective strut to which they are fastened, in each case a part of a zipper fastener. In the packing position these two edges come into an adjacent position, so as to permit the zipper fastener to be closed.
The stability of the separating device of this invention can be increased if it has, in addition to the two struts provided on the edges of the surface structure, a third strut which is constructed in the same manner as the two edge-side struts.